Sectionalism
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From colonial times there were differences in geography that gave rise to variations in culture and economy in the United States. Due to the differing characteristics, a sectional economy molded the United States into two distinct regions: the north and the south. The north, a commercial society, which supported industry and commerce while the south, an agrarian civilization, flourished in the production of raw materials with use of slaves. The two economies were both self-supporting and capable to create a stronger, more productive nation. The regional differences sought to build America, in turn threatened to destroy it. Many Historians believe that the Civil War was constructed over the issue of slavery. However, the concerns of states rights versus federal rights and the unfair legislation representation were the principal causes of the Civil War.
The United States during the 1800s supported the two distinct economies of the north and
the south. Both north and south economies had many similarities and a several differences. The northern economy was built on a commercial platform of trade-dependent, industrial society. During the 1800s, the north experienced an Industrial Revolution. Many factories sprung up in prominent cities such as New York, leading to an increase unskilled labor. Population sizes grew due to the swell in job opportunities, urbanization, and immigration. There were also, intricate railway systems and numerous waterways that allowed for simple trade and shipping among major cities.
While the north experienced dramatic economic change, the south remained relatively unchanged from the 1800s to the 1850s. The southern economy was a slave-based, agrarian society. The souths main resource of production was cotton, or commonly known as “King Cotton”. Since textile mills in the north were quickly growing, more and more cotton was needed. Along with the demand for cotton came a demand for labor. Black slaves from Africa were used to hand pick cotton in cotton fields, a tedious and daunting job. After Eli Whitneys invention of the cotton gin, cotton production skyrocketed from the average 3,000 bails per year to 300,000 bails per year. Unlike the north, the south lacked transportation improvements such as railways, roads, and water canals.
In contrast to the many economical differences of the industrial north and agrarian south, few similarities arise in the struggle of sectionalism. Both the societies consisted of utilization of trade, westward expansion, and the use of unskilled labor. The norths industrial businesses such as textile industries demanded the souths production of cotton in order to maintain its market with oversees buyers. Also, the fight for westward land was among the many conflicts between the north and the south. And the use of unskilled labor was highly shared between these two economies. In the south, the use of untrained African slaves was its main entity to economic success. Like the south, the north used amateur workers in its industries to boost its production.
Among the economies of the north and south arose many conflicts that led to the tension of the Civil War in 1861. In the 1800s, slavery was a major sectional issue. Northerners were strongly opposed to slavery unlike the souths belief that slavery was economically beneficial. Adding to the strain between the ideologies